No words can describe how magical this experience was. Hearing them sing clear and loud, was breathtaking.

Our whale swim

We swam with three different whales. Each one moved slowly and gracefully, circling then coming back to have another look at us. They seemed to hold our gaze.

A compilation of our footage, created by Tim. Best played with sound on.

Rules for swimming with Humpback whales

Hervey Bay Dive is the only company in Hervey Bay that does swim with whales. We found them very good and we had a fabulous day.

There are many rules and legislation around swimming with whales.

• Swimming is not allowed with mothers and calves (babies)

• Boats can not go any closer than 100 metres to a whale

• If the whale decides to come to the boat then swimmers may enter the water 10 at a time.

• Scuba diving with whales is prohibited because they don’t like bubbles

• Swimmers are not allowed to use fins/flippers Kicking and splashing is not allowed

• Each swimmer must hold the rope at all times and must not try to approach or touch a whale

Fun facts about humpback whales

• Commonly thought to live aprox 50 years, new research suggests it’s more like 100 years.

• They reach sexual maturity about 6 years of age

• On average a female will give birth every second year.

• Babies, (calves) stay with their mothers for one year.

• A calf will suckle up to 500 litres of milk per day

• From 1 year to 6 years old they have left their mothers and are very inquisitive seeking out a boat to have a look.

• The males sing songs. Each migration they sing a new new song. The songs are taken up by other humpbacks going from west to east around the globe.

• The songs are very complex and lengthy

• The underside of the tail (fluke) has permanent, unique markings, thus individuals can be identified from one year to the next.

Cheers til next time

Helen & Tim